Past MOCRA Events

Browse the chronological list of events at the Saint Louis University Museum of Contemporary Religious Art (MOCRA), or search for a specific event. Click “View” for more information about an event. If you need further information about an event, please contact us.

Name

René Paul Barilleaux: Crafting a Curatorial Practice

Dates

April 14, 2024

Description

René Paul Barilleaux, Chief of Curatorial Affairs at the McNay Art Museum in San Antonio, TX, traces the evolution of his curatorial practice over a forty-year period, including a sustained interest in everyday and craft materials and the handmade. In addition to looking back at past projects, beginning in the 1980s, Barilleaux previews exhibitions currently in development.

This talk, given on April 14, 2024, was presented in conjunction with the MOCRA exhibition Open Hands: Crafting the Spiritual.

Rene Paul Barilleaux has been a curator for 40 years, focusing especially on the work of artists outside the mainstream or at mid- and late-career. Since 2005, he has led the curatorial department at the McNay Art Museum in San Antonio, TX, where he is head of curatorial affairs. With a background in studio practice, Barilleaux’s curatorial interests lie in incorporating innovative presentation techniques to engage audiences in challenging and unexpected ways. Early years at the Museum of Holography in New York thrust him into the world of alternative and non-traditional institutions. Since then, his exhibitions and publications have won awards, including an AAMC Award of Excellence in 2020 for Transamerica/n: Gender, Identity, Appearance Today. Barilleaux’s curatorial approach is collaborative and allows diverse voices to construct an open and welcoming narrative for the public. A native of Lafayette, Louisiana, Barilleaux shares his life with his husband, Tim Hedgepeth, and their dog, Lucy.

In September 2022, Barilleaux participated in a MOCRA panel discussion titled “Artist, Poet, Curator: A Conversation with Lesley Dill, Tom Sleigh and Rene Paul Barilleaux.”

above:
René Paul Barilleaux

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Watch René Paul Barilleaux: Crafting a Curatorial Practice

Dates	Exhibition
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2007-09-16	Michael Morris, O.P.: “Moving Pictures: The Bible and Beyond” September 16, 2007 Professor and Dominican priest Rev. Michael Morris, O.P., gives a wry and highly informed survey of Hollywood's relationship with Judeo-Christian scripture (in fact, the motion picture's interest ...
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1999-04-15	Two Lectures: Ellen Dissanayake and Jack Renard April 15, 1999 MOCRA presents lectures by two distinguished scholars. Ellen Dissanayake “In the Beginning, Art” An innovative scholar makes a case for an innate hu...
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1997-11-15	The Role of the Computer in Contemporary Art November 15, 1997 Join artist Manfred Stumpf and members of the St. Louis arts community in an exploration of the role of the computer in contemporary art, examined from the perspectives of the artist, the art histo...
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1993-11-05	An Evening with Katherine Dunham November 5, 1993 Living legend Katherine Dunham discusses the famous “Dunham Technique” and provides valuable in...
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2019-04-14	A Conversation with Gary Logan April 14, 2019 Trinidadian-American artist Gary Logan uses the visual language of abstraction to convey encounters with the sublime and explore challenging dimensions of the human experience. In this conversation...
2019-11-10	Pursuing the Spirit in Contemporary Art: A Celebration of Terrence Dempsey, S.J. November 10, 2019 On June 30, 2019, MOCRA Founding Director Terrence Dempsey, S.J., retired from Saint Louis University after nearly three decades of teaching and museum leadership. Fr. Dempsey jokes that he may be ...
2021-10-26 to 2021-10-26	Religion and Complex Social Issues Series: Panel on Immigration, Justice, and Religion October 26, 2021 to October 26, 2021 The Religion and Complex Social Issues series began in fall 2017 to provide informative, thoughtful, discussion-oriented opportunities for students, faculty, and various other communities of Saint ...
2021-11-03 to 2021-11-03	Sobrevida: A Conversation with Prof. Daisy Vargas November 3, 2021 to November 03, 2021 Dr. Daisy Vargas explores life and death at the Mexico-U.S. borderlands through the material objects that migrants bring on their journeys. The Religion and Complex Social Issues series b...
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2022-04-07 to 2022-04-07	Tom Lucas, S.J.: Art in the Jesuit Tradition April 7, 2022 to April 07, 2022 Fr. Tom Lucas, S.J., speaks about Art in the Jesuit Tradition, an illustrated presentation that surveys the important role of art in Jesuit education and spirituality from the earliest days of the ...
2022-09-29	Artist, Poet, Curator: A Conversation with Lesley Dill, Tom Sleigh and Rene Paul Barilleaux September 29, 2022 On September 29, 2022, MOCRA welcomed acclaimed visual artist Lesley Dill for a virtual, Zoom-based presentation. Dill was joined by poet Tom Sleigh and Rene Paul Barilleaux, head of curatorial aff...
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2024-04-14	René Paul Barilleaux: Crafting a Curatorial Practice April 14, 2024 René Paul Barilleaux, Chief of Curatorial Affairs at the McNay Art Museum in San Antonio, TX, traces the evolution of his curatorial practice over a forty-year period, including a sustained intere...

Past MOCRA Events

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